Church Clothes | ||||
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Mixtape by | ||||
Released | May 10, 2012 | |||
Genre | Christian hip hop | |||
Length | 61:35 | |||
Label | Reach Records | |||
Producer |
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Lecrae chronology | ||||
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Singles from Church Clothes | ||||
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Church Clothes is the first mixtape by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released for free on May 10, 2012, and hosted by DJ Don Cannon. It featured No Malice of Clipse on the song "Darkest Hour", and included production work by 9th Wonder, Boi-1da, S1 and Street Symphony. Label-mates Tedashii and Andy Mineo, as well as other fellow Christian hip-hop artists such as Dre Murray, Thi'sl, Swoope, Christon Gray, and Braille, also made appearances on the album. The mixtape was downloaded 100,000 times in 48 hours, and met with critical acclaim. It received controversy in Christian media upon its release due to its condemnation of hypocrisy in the Christian Church and Lecrae's collaboration with the mainstream producer Don Cannon. A shorter, remastered EP version was released on iTunes on June 25, 2012. The EP debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Christian Albums and Gospel Albums charts.
On May 3, 2012, Lecrae premiered his music video for the title-track of his Church Clothes mixtape online on XXL . [1] This followed his release of the title-track on Rapzilla on April 27, 2012, for free download. [2] The video was noted for including cameos by Kendrick Lamar and DJ Premier, and attracted almost 20,000 views in less than a day. [1] The mixtape itself was subsequently released for free on May 10, 2012 on the website DatPiff.com, and within 48 hours reached 100,000 downloads. [3] [4] It reached 250,000 downloads (rated platinum on DatPiff) in less than a month. [5] Bun B was also noted as promoting the album. [4] Artists featured on the mixtape include No Malice, formerly Malice, of Clipse on the song "Darkest Hour", fellow labelmates Tedashii and Andy Mineo, as well as Dre Murray, Thi'sl, Swoope, and Christon Gray. [6] [7] [8] [9] Propaganda, Odd Thomas, and Braille from Humble Beast appeared on the track "Misconception", with Humble Beast member Courtland Urbano providing production. [10] [11] Braille, Odd Thomas, and Courtland Urbano all are members of Beautiful Eulogy. [12] The mixtape also included input from notable producers 9th Wonder, Boi-1da, S1, and Street Symphony. [7] [13] The day before the release of Church Clothes, DaSouth stated the album "may be the most important Christian hip hop album in history." [14] In support of this opinion, the writer cited Lecrae's collaboration with Don Cannon, the featuring of No Malice along with the producers S1, 9th Wonder, and Street Symphony, the fact that the album was free, and Lecrae's more "relational" lyrical approach. [14] The single "Church Clothes" was also chosen as a Staff Pick for the week of May 7, 2012, by iHipHop. [15] On June 25, 2012, a remastered version of the mixtape, without DJ Don Cannon, was released as an EP for sale on iTunes. [16] Due to issues with sampling, this version was much shorter with only seven songs. [16] Upon its release, the EP was noted by Rapzilla for reaching number 5 on the iTunes Hip Hop/Rap charts, and it debuted on the Billboard charts as number 10 on both the Christian Albums and Gospel Albums charts for the week of July 14, 2012. [17] [18] [19]
Following its release, the mixtape garnered controversy in Christian media. Fears were raised over Lecrae's collaboration with the "secular" Cannon and the possibility of him losing touch with the Gospel and "selling-out" to a mainstream audience. [21] [22] [23] His harsh view of the Church, particularly taken in the song "Church Clothes", also drew concern. [20] [1] [21] [23] Lecrae responded that his song "Church Clothes" was written in the third-person and was voicing a non-Christian's view of the Church. [3] [23] He also explained that the song was meant to expose hypocrisy both in the Church and in the view of the Church by unbelievers. [3] In a video interview with The Source , Lecrae said that "just because you're inconsistent doesn't mean the Truth isn't the Truth." [24] Paul S. Morton, Keisha Allen, and Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. have all come out in support for the song. [20] As for his move into the mainstream, Lecrae has explained that he is attempting to move out of the stigma of being a "Gospel rapper" and reach out to a broader culture. [25] In a blog post designed to clarify his stance, Lecrae wrote: "[Christians] limit spirituality to salvation and sanctification. As long as we are well versed in personal piety and individual salvation, we think we're good. But most Christians have no clue how to engage culture in politics, science, economics, TV, music or art. We tend to leave people to their own devices there." [26] Rapzilla supported this stance, with Chris Lassiter saying "I pray that the Christian Hip-Hop community would have such a vision for the glory of God in music, production, videography, lyricism, etc., that anyone that wanted to experience Hip-Hop at its highest art form would have to come to the Christians." [27]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllHipHop | 8/10 [7] |
The Christian Manifesto | J. F. Arnold: [21] Nick Ahern: 4.25/5 [21] Michael Wildes: [10] |
DaSouth | [28] |
FNFLive | 9.2/10 (Classic status) [11] |
Indie Vision Music | [29] |
XXL | XL (4/5) [30] |
The mixtape was praised by critics, particularly for its production and lyrical content. AllHipHop rated the album eight out of ten, praising the album's "ability to focus on the Christian values without coming off as preachy, or even Bible-thumping." [7] The Christian Manifesto in an audio review called the production solid and praised the emcee work on "Misconception", but stated that "No Regrets" failed to match the energy and intensity of the first half of the album. [21] J. F. Arnold rated the album 4.5 out of 5, while Nick Ahern gave it 4.25 out of 5. [21] Ahern stated that he had not been a fan of Lecrae, but that his opinion changed on this release, mainly due to Lecrae's "fierceness" and speed. [21] A written review by Michael Wildes for The Christian Manifesto rated the album a complete five stars and nominated it for that website's annual Lime Awards. [10] DaSouth, which rated the album four out of five, viewed "No Regrets" more favorably, calling Suzy Rock's singing "top-notch" and regarding the collaboration of Big Juice and Street Symphony as a "near perfect backdrop". [28] Both DaSouth and AllHipHop leveled some criticism at "Darkest Hour", with AllHipHop calling the hook "cheezy" and DaSouth viewing the track as a personal low-point, calling it too slow and stating that they expected more from No Malice. [7] [28] Mike McCray from The Fayetteville Observer was favorable to the album, stating at the end of his review that "I never thought I’d hear the day gospel music sampled Pimp C, but I’m glad I did. Church Clothes is 'come as you are' music, presenting faith as a defining theme without being pious. The project may ruffle some feathers, but its wider appeal can’t be overlooked." [31] Jam the Hype Radio highly praised the mixtape, stating, "It contains some of the best hip-hop songs of the year and is totally worth the listen!" [32] StupidDOPE was highly favorable to the album, praising Lecrae's mic skills and noting that he "is finally stepping onto the mainstream stage" with his collaboration with No Malice on "Darkest Hour". [8] XXL gave the album an "XL" rating, the equivalent of four out of five, calling Church Clothes a "strong release in that it helps deliver a message without beating the listener over the head with religious propaganda". [30] The production was highly praised by the magazine, which noted the appearance of 9th Wonder on "Rise" and "Long Time Coming" but stated that the more unknown producers Big Juice and Street Symphony on "No Regrets" and Tha Kracken! on "Rejects" stole the show. [30] Indie Vision Music rated the album four out of five, praising the songs "Church Clothes", "Sacrifice", and "Rejects", among others, but leveling some criticism at, among others, the songs "APB", "Special" and "Rise". [29] The mixtape was also chosen by iHipHop as a Staff Pick for May 14, 2012, with staff member jGerson writing that "I might have to agree with Serge. There was nothing I was feeling more this week than Lecrae's mixtape Church Clothes mixtape." [33] jGerson listed the track "Rise" as their favorite on the album. [33] Vibe viewed the album favorably, stating that "The dude can surely spit, but Church Clothes starts off sounding very boxed in and predictable. However, once you get to the middle—and get into some of the impeccable production... ...Lecrae proves to be a promising new talent with some amazing tracks under his belt." [34] Vibe listed standout tracks as "The Price Of Life," "Inspiration," "Darkest Hour," "Rise," and "Church Clothes." [34]
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Co-Sign" | Heat Academy | 3:10 |
2. | "APB" (featuring Thi'sl) |
| 3:32 |
3. | "Church Clothes" | Wit | 2:24 |
4. | "Cold World" (featuring Tasha Catour) | Street Symphony | 3:33 |
5. | "Welcome to H-Town" (featuring Tedashii, Dre Murray and VonWon (uncredited) [10] [28] ) | Wit | 4:32 |
6. | "Inspiration" | Wit | 2:30 |
7. | "Rise" | 9th Wonder | 3:12 |
8. | "Darkest Hour" (featuring No Malice) | ThaInnaCircle | 2:37 |
9. | "Black Rose" | Tyshane | 2:56 |
10. | "The Price of Life" (featuring Andy Mineo and Co Campbell) | S1 | 4:00 |
11. | "Special" (featuring Lester L2 Shaw) | ThaInnaCircle | 3:29 |
12. | "No Regrets" (featuring Suzy Rock) |
| 3:31 |
13. | "Gimme A Second" | Boi-1da | 3:33 |
14. | "Long Time Coming" (featuring Swoope) | 9th Wonder | 3:17 |
15. | "Misconception" (featuring Propaganda, Beautiful Eulogy and DJ Efechto [35] ) | Courtland Urbano [36] | 4:31 |
16. | "Spazz" |
| 3:24 |
17. | "Sacrifice" |
| 3:58 |
18. | "Rejects" (featuring Christon Gray) | Tha Kracken! | 3:32 |
Total length: | 58:04 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "APB" (featuring Thi'sl) | 3:40 |
2. | "Cold World" (featuring Tasha Catour) | 3:50 |
3. | "No Regrets" (featuring Suzy Rock) | 3:36 |
4. | "Special" (featuring Lester L2 Shaw) | 3:39 |
5. | "Misconception" (featuring Propaganda, Beautiful Eulogy and DJ Efechto) | 4:28 |
6. | "Spazz" | 3:35 |
7. | "Rejects" (featuring Christon Gray) | 3:31 |
Church Clothes debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Christian Albums and Gospel Albums charts. Released on iTunes, it was reported by Rapzilla that the album reached number 5 on iTunes's Hip Hop/Rap chart. [17]
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
US Christian [18] | 10 |
US Gospel [19] | 10 |
US Rap | 75 |
Clipse, also known as the Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, mainly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Malice was originally known as Malicious, but changed his stage name to Malice soon after the group's formation, before changing it to No Malice once more in 2012 following his conversion to Christianity. Based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the duo was discovered by producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the artists to work in tandem. Williams served as executive and lead producer for each of their albums, as part of the Neptunes and as a frequent guest performer. As key figures in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast's strongholds in hip hop, the duo's frequent subject matter is based around illegal drug trade.
Lecrae Devaughn Moore is an American Christian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur. To date, Moore has released ten studio albums and three mixtapes as a solo artist, and has released three studio albums, a remix album, one EP, and numerous singles as the leader of the hip hop group 116 Clique.
Rebel is the third studio album by Christian rap artist, Lecrae. The album was released by Reach Records on September 30, 2008. The album was nominated in the best Rap/Hip-Hop Album category at the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards but lost to Group 1 Crew's Ordinary Dreamers.
Mark Julian Felder, more commonly known as Bizzle, is an American Christian hip hop recording artist and entrepreneur.
The discography of Lecrae, an American Christian hip hop artist, consists of 11 studio albums, two of which were collaborative; four mixtapes; two extended plays, one of which was collaborative; 130 singles, including 75 as a featured performer; 73 music videos, including 37 as a featured performer; and 86 guest and other appearances. Lecrae debuted with Real Talk in 2004 through Reach Records; the album was re-issued the following year by Cross Movement Records. After the Music Stops followed in 2006 and his third solo album, Rebel, was released in 2008 and reached No. 1 on the Gospel chart, the first Christian hip hop album to do so. Rehab, his fourth solo album, was released in 2010 and reached No. 1 on the Gospel, Christian, and Independent charts, and garnered a nomination at the 53rd Grammy Awards. Rehab: The Overdose, was released on January 11, 2011, and peaked at No. 1 on the Christian and Gospel charts. Lecrae began garnering mainstream attention when he performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher and was featured on the Statik Selektah song "Live and Let Live" from his Population Control album.
Kevin Elijah Burgess, better known by his stage name KB, is an American Christian hip hop artist and music executive from St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the leader of the hip-hop group HGA. Burgess signed a solo artist contract with Reach Records in 2010. The label has released several projects, including the Who Is KB? mixtape in 2011, Weight & Glory, on July 17, 2012, 100 EP on March 4, 2014, Tomorrow We Live on April 21, 2015, and Today We Rebel on October 20, 2017. He is also a member of the label's collective 116 Clique.
Gravity is the sixth studio album by American Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on September 4, 2012. The album features appearances from Big K.R.I.T., Mathai, Ashthon Jones, Sho Baraka and Mali Music, along with labelmates Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, Derek Minor, who was formerly known as PRo, and Tedashii. Producers on the album include DJ Khalil, Street Symphony along with his production team Heat Academy, and The Watchmen. The first single off the album, "I Know", was released on July 24, 2012, and was followed by "Tell the World" featuring Mali Music on August 15, 2012, and "Mayday" featuring Big K.R.I.T. and Ashthon Jones on August 30, 2012. Reach Records released five music videos for the album: "Lord Have Mercy", featuring Tedashii along with No Malice of Clipse, on August 1, 2012, "Tell the World", featuring Mali Music, on October 19, 2012, "Mayday", featuring Big K.R.I.T. and Ashthon Jones, on December 13, 2012, "Fakin'", featuring Thi'sl, on February 1, 2013, and "Confe$$ions", featuring David Banner, on April 30, 2013.
"Mayday" is a song by Christian hip hop recording artist Lecrae, featuring guest vocals from fellow American rapper Big K.R.I.T. and American Idol finalist Ashthon Jones. Released on August 30, 2012, it is the fourth single off the album Gravity, which was released on September 4, 2012. The song's lyrics focus on religion, spirituality, and the role of grandmothers in developing faith and stability. It features a confession by Big K.R.I.T in which he expresses frustration with Christian hypocrisy. The song has been well received by critics and is considered one of the best songs off the album, with the lush instrumental production by DJ Khalil and the vocals by Ashthon Jones attracting particular praise. Stylistically, "Mayday" is described as having both a very "raw" and "organic" sound and R&B flow, with "chaotic" and "funky" production.
The discography of American Christian hip hop artist Andy Mineo, formerly known as C-Lite, consists of three studio albums, three mixtapes, one compilation album, twenty-one singles, including seven as a featured performer, fourteen music videos, including six as a featured artist, and fifteen guest appearances on various albums. Originally from Syracuse, Mineo initially achieved success as a producer in Upstate New York, and was a member of the hip hop group Fat Camp, signed to Syracuse University's Marshall Street Records. After moving to New York City where he re-dedicated his life to Christ, he closed down his production studio and restarted his career. He released his first mixtape Sin is Wack Vol. 1 in 2009. After providing sung vocals for the song "Background" by Lecrae from the album Rehab, he experienced a surge in popularity and became highly sought after for collaborations. His 2011 single "In My City" featuring Efrain from Doubledge also garnered attention, as did his appearance on the song "Reverse" by Tedashii from Blacklight. He signed to Reach Records in 2011 and dropped his stage name "C-Lite" in favor of his legal name. Under this name he released another mixtape, Formerly Known, in 2011. In May 2012 he debuted a four episode web series entitled Saturday Morning Car-Tunez in which he remixed classic hip hop songs. The four songs were subsequently released for free as a compilation album. His debut full-length studio album, Heroes for Sale, was released April 2013.
Derek Laurence Johnson Jr., better known by his stage name Derek Minor and former stage name PRo, is an American Christian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, actor, and screenwriter. He co-founded the hip-hop record label Reflection Music Group (RMG) with Doc Watson, and signed to Reach Records in a joint venture between the two labels in 2011. In 2012, Johnson announced that he had changed his stage name from Pro to Derek Minor. In 2014, he announced that as his two-album contract with Reach was complete, he would no longer be publishing releases through that label.
Reach Records is an American independent record label specializing in Christian hip hop. The label was founded in 2004 by Ben Washer and the hip-hop artist Lecrae. In addition to Lecrae, the Reach Records roster contains artists like Tedashii, Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, 1K Phew, WHATUPRG, Anike, Hulvey, Limoblaze, and Jackie Hill Perry. The hip-hop collective 116 operates under the label and consists primarily of the label's solo acts. The artists Sho Baraka, Derek Minor, Aha Gazelle, KB, and Gawvi were formerly signed to the label, and DJ Official was under the label until his death.
Church Clothes 2, officially Church Clothes, Vol. 2, is the second mixtape by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on November 7, 2013 by Reach Records. Hosted by Don Cannon, it follows Lecrae's previous mixtape, Church Clothes, and Grammy Award-winning full-length album Gravity, both of which came out in 2012. Two versions of the album were released, a free version with host Don Cannon, and a commercial version off iTunes without the DJ. The first single off the album, "Round of Applause", was released on May 14, 2013. On May 21, a remixed version of the song, featuring rapper B.o.B, was released. A second single off the album, "I'm Turnt", dropped on October 18, 2013. The mixtape was downloaded over 100,000 times on DatPiff.com in the first two weeks and debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 chart, No. 1 on the Top Christian and Gospel charts, and No. 3 on the Top Rap chart.
"Round of Applause" is a single by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on May 14, 2013. The lead single from the commercial version of his mixtape Church Clothes 2, it was followed a week later by an extended, non-commercial version which featured B.o.B. Upon the release of the album's track-listing on November 2, which listed "Round of Applause" without B.o.B's feature, Reach Records producer Alex Medina tweeted that the commercial version of Church Clothes 2 does not contain the feature, while the free version hosted by Don Cannon does contain B.o.B's feature.
Beautiful Eulogy is a Christian experimental hip hop group and production team from Portland, Oregon, signed to the label Humble Beast. Composed of rappers Braille and Odd Thomas and producer Courtland Urbano, the group coalesced in 2011 while the three artists were involved in the creation of Braille's seventh release, Native Lungs. Known for its experimental and eclectic sound, the group melds myriad styles of hip hop with genres such as folk, electronic, hymn tunes, and modern worship music. After contributing a song to the charity compilation King Kulture and making a guest appearance on Lecrae's Church Clothes, the band released its debut album, Satellite Kite, on June 19, 2012. A second album, Instruments of Mercy, came out on October 29, 2013. Called one of the most innovative hip hop groups in Portland, Beautiful Eulogy has met with critical acclaim, with particular praise directed at the group's creative, unconventional sound and deep theological lyrics.
The discography of Propaganda, an American Christian hip hop and spoken word artist and poet from Los Angeles, California, consists of five studio albums, two EPs, twelve compilation appearances, eleven music videos, including one as a featured performer, and twenty-three guest appearances.
Anomaly is the seventh studio album by American Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on September 9, 2014, through Reach Records. The album features appearances from Crystal Nicole, Kari Jobe, and For King & Country, along with label-mate Andy Mineo. Anomaly met with a positive critical reception, and the song "Nuthin", released for streaming as a single on July 1, 2014, was nominated for the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards in the best Impact Track category. The album also fared well commercially, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with over 88,000 copies sold. It also debuted at No. 1 on the Top Gospel Albums chart, marking the first time that any artist has ever topped both the 200 and Gospel charts. Anomaly won Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year at the 2015 GMA Dove Awards, and Rap, Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year at the 2015 Stellar Awards. Two songs earned a nomination for the 2015 Grammy Awards; "All I Need Is You" was nominated for Best Rap Performance, and "Messengers", featuring For King & Country, won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.
Church Clothes 3 is the third mixtape by Christian hip hop recording artist Lecrae. It was released on January 15, 2016, through his label Reach Records. The mixtape is the third in his Church Clothes series, and his first major release since his studio album Anomaly (2014). It features guest appearances from E-40, N'dambi, Propaganda, John Givez, JGivens, Jackie Hill Perry, and then-label-mate KB. While the previous two mixtapes were hosted by DJ Don Cannon, on Church Clothes 3 S1 served as executive producer on the tape. In addition to S1, Epikh Pro, Black Knight, GAWVI, and others contributed production to the mixtape.
Natalie Lauren Sims, also known by her stage name Natalie Lauren and former stage name Suzy Rock, is a musician, songwriter, graphic designer, visual artist, writer, and music executive from Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a solo artist she performs within the Christian hip hop and R&B genres, having released a studio album, eight singles, three extended plays, a mixtape, and a live extended play as well as being featured on numerous songs by other artists. She also is a member of High Society Collective – along with Sho Baraka, Swoope, and J.R. – which released a studio album, Circa MMXI: The Collective, in 2012. She released her first studio album, Handle with Care, in 2020 through Rostrum Records. Five singles were released for the album: "Meditate" in 2019, and "Something Something", "Just Breathe", "Back to Love", and "Bra Off" in 2020. A live EP of the same title was released in 2024.
Church Clothes 4 is a 2022 mixtape from Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on November 4 through his own label Reach Records. It constitutes the final installment of his Church Clothes mixtape series begun in 2012. It includes featured appearances from Andy Mineo, PJ Morton, A.I. the Anomaly, Jon Keith, nobigdyl., WHATUPRG, and Jordan L’Oreal. Two singles were released from the mixtape — "Spread the Opps", on August 5, 2022, and "Fear Not", on October 26, 2022. A deluxe edition of the album, Church Clothes 4: Dry Clean Only, was released February 24, 2023.
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